Gov. Jim Doyle unveiled the state's new brand promise Tuesday. A brand promise is a strategic framework used to plan advertising, such as slogans, tourism campaigns and other marketing.
The brand promise is, "Because of the passionate nature of the state's people to create fun, express themselves in original ways and feel more comfortable doing it here than anywhere else, in Wisconsin originality rules." It has potential, but may be too general to really make an impact.
The promise is not used as a marketing tool itself, but rather as a basis for marketing the state. Its central theme is originality, and Wisconsin is an original state. But the same can be said about almost any other state. Each one has its own intricacies and nuances.
Being original in a brand promise is certainly not original.
Wisconsin's global brand awareness ranks pretty low, according to a state brands index created by Briton Simon Anholt in 2006. Wisconsin came in 37th on the index, between Kansas and Iowa. Not too impressive.
We have to give the state credit for trying. Its current slogan, "Life's So Good," doesn't really ring true. Oil prices are at an all-time high, foreclosures in the state are climbing and more people are in credit card debt than ever before. Oh, and Brett Favre made his retirement official yesterday. Life is not that good.
Dennis Garrett, an associate professor of marketing at Marquette University, said in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article that the "originality" brand was a fresh idea. He said the brand was flexible, an important factor for something that might be used several years.
There is a downside, however, to going with originality.
"The downside is that 'originality' is going to need some definition," Garrett said. "It's one of those where you say, 'What does that really mean?' The challenge is to quickly define what that means before pundits out there put a comical spin on it."
Kelli Trumble, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said materials based on the brand promise are likely to begin appearing in the summer, with a full campaign expected to launch in 2009.
That's too much time to let the pundits have at it. It's likely by the summer, the brand promise will have been picked at so much it won't be original anymore.
Trumble backs the brand promise.
"We believe we've unearthed, once and for all, the Wisconsin brand promise that will differentiate us from the competition," Trumble said. "This brand platform has the potential to elevate the state regionally, nationally and even internationally, while showcasing Wisconsin's famous hospitality."
Will the brand promise and resulting slogans push Wisconsin up the index, draw more tourists and businesses to our state, and therefore, more money?
That remains to be seen. But credit the state for, borrowing from Kentucky's slogan, showing "Unbridled Enthusiasm."
The brand promise is, "Because of the passionate nature of the state's people to create fun, express themselves in original ways and feel more comfortable doing it here than anywhere else, in Wisconsin originality rules." It has potential, but may be too general to really make an impact.
The promise is not used as a marketing tool itself, but rather as a basis for marketing the state. Its central theme is originality, and Wisconsin is an original state. But the same can be said about almost any other state. Each one has its own intricacies and nuances.
Being original in a brand promise is certainly not original.
Wisconsin's global brand awareness ranks pretty low, according to a state brands index created by Briton Simon Anholt in 2006. Wisconsin came in 37th on the index, between Kansas and Iowa. Not too impressive.
We have to give the state credit for trying. Its current slogan, "Life's So Good," doesn't really ring true. Oil prices are at an all-time high, foreclosures in the state are climbing and more people are in credit card debt than ever before. Oh, and Brett Favre made his retirement official yesterday. Life is not that good.
Dennis Garrett, an associate professor of marketing at Marquette University, said in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article that the "originality" brand was a fresh idea. He said the brand was flexible, an important factor for something that might be used several years.
There is a downside, however, to going with originality.
"The downside is that 'originality' is going to need some definition," Garrett said. "It's one of those where you say, 'What does that really mean?' The challenge is to quickly define what that means before pundits out there put a comical spin on it."
Kelli Trumble, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, said materials based on the brand promise are likely to begin appearing in the summer, with a full campaign expected to launch in 2009.
That's too much time to let the pundits have at it. It's likely by the summer, the brand promise will have been picked at so much it won't be original anymore.
Trumble backs the brand promise.
"We believe we've unearthed, once and for all, the Wisconsin brand promise that will differentiate us from the competition," Trumble said. "This brand platform has the potential to elevate the state regionally, nationally and even internationally, while showcasing Wisconsin's famous hospitality."
Will the brand promise and resulting slogans push Wisconsin up the index, draw more tourists and businesses to our state, and therefore, more money?
That remains to be seen. But credit the state for, borrowing from Kentucky's slogan, showing "Unbridled Enthusiasm."
